MSNBC legal analyst Katie Phang is amplifying the recently released ProPublica article ”Multiple Trump Witnesses Have Received Significant Financial Benefits From His Businesses, Campaigns,’ which was co-written by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Robert Faturechi, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski.
The subhead of the article reads: “Witnesses in the various criminal cases against the former president have gotten pay raises, new jobs and more. If any benefits were intended to influence testimony, that could be a crime.”
Witnesses referenced in the article include Trump campaign advisor Boris Epshteyn; head of Trump’s 2024 campaign Susie Wiles; Trump aide Margo Martin; Trump aide Dan Scavino, who was appointed to the Trump Media board of directors; Trump attorneys Jennifer Little and Evan Corcoran, and former Trump Organization CFO Allen Wiesselberg, who is currently in prison.
Phang pulled three separate quotes from the ProPublica article including: “Nine witnesses in the criminal cases against former President Donald Trump have received significant financial benefits, including large raises from his campaign, severance packages, new jobs, and a grant of shares and cash from Trump’s media company.”
“Nine witnesses in the criminal cases against former President Donald Trump have received significant financial benefits, including large raises from his campaign, severance packages, new jobs, and a grant of shares and cash from Trump’s media company.” https://t.co/ZF1TIgpo9L
— Katie Phang (@KatiePhang) June 3, 2024
“These pay increases and other benefits often came at delicate moments in the legal proceedings against Trump. One aide who was given a plum position on the board of Trump’s social media company, for example, got the seat after he was subpoenaed but before he testified.”
“One campaign aide had his average monthly pay double, from $26,000 to $53,500. Another employee got a $2 million severance package barring him from voluntarily cooperating with law enforcement. And one of the campaign’s top officials had her daughter hired onto the campaign staff, where she is now the fourth-highest-paid employee.”